Chemical solution to ongoing pigeon pest

Published:14:43Thursday 15 September 2011

Share this article

A PIGEON problem plaguing a town for about five years is finally on track to getting sorted.

Hundreds of droppings from pigeons roosting under bridges in Market Rasen’s Queen Street, Chapel Street and Waterloo Street have made residents miserable for years with people complaining of slipping in the mess and even being dropped on.

But now Market Rasen Town Council and West Linsdey Council are hoping to use a chemical on the bridges to repel the pigeons.

A trial is being carried out on the Queen Street bridge and if it is successful it will be applied to all three bridges.

A West Lindsey Council spokesman said: “The pigeon deterrent is a ‘chemical’ that stops them coming back and roosting. It doesn’t harm them at all or kill them.

“It’s made up of natural oil and part of the deterrent is the small which repels the birds.”

Calls have previously been made for Network Rail to deal with the problem but it denied responsibility.

Market Rasen mayor Ken Bridger is pleased there might be a solution to the pigeon problem saying “someone else can have them”.

He said: “It’s getting out of hand, we’ve got too many pigeons and they are breeding. It would be brilliant to think we’ve found a solution.

“We’re waiting to find out how much it will cost before we can go ahead with anything. If we go along the chemical route and use pigeon repellent we’ll have to pay to renew the repellent every six months to a year.”

He said the repellent is a kind of gel that forms a skin. He said: “Once the pigeons get near to it and realise they don’t like it, hopefully they’ll remember and not come back.”

Trending

Six dwellings at former site of Rasen business

Caistor’s Mel is all smiles after shedding almost eight stone in weight

LATEST UPDATE: Market Rasen man jailed for burglary at De Aston School